PURPOSE

Our greatest purpose in the life that we have is to love and be loved by our Maker. Nothing else matters. No one else matters. Only God. He is our source of life, strength, might, courage, power, love, peace, fulfillment, joy and every good thing. Knowing God's love and experiencing Him on a daily basis is the greatest source of strength and encouragement to do all that He has commanded. We rely on His love. To do good works without His love would be good, but it would lack. Your purpose is to love God and be loved by God. Anything apart from that will always be wanting. But our God says, He is our sheppherd, we shall not be in want. Praise God.

In desperate pursuit of the love of an infinite God.

Affliction can lead to offense

Study of Matthew 11:1-19

Let us first look at verses 2 & 3

 ²Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
 ³And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 

Please note that it said that John had already heard of the works of Christ. That is not too hard to believe considering that at some point in time his disciples must have reported to him all that they had witnessed Jesus doing. They must have told him about Jesus preaching to Matthew and the tax collectors, or about the blind that received their sight and the deaf that now hear. And they also must have mentioned to John that Jesus was raising the dead, the lame were standing up and walking and incurable diseases were being cured.

Not only did John's disciples testify of the works of Jesus but John himself also testified of who Jesus was and witnessed with his eyes the Spirit of God descending from heaven upon him like a dove. It was John who saw Jesus approaching him and said, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" and "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." (John 1:29-36)

John knew who Jesus was and believe in Him. So then, why was he asking Christ if he was really the Son of God? Let us read on. After John's disciples asked Jesus John's question ...

"⁴Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
 ⁵The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
 ⁶And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me."

In verse 6, Jesus told John to not be offended by Him. Why would John, a man filled with the Holy Spirit since he was in the womb, be offended by Jesus? Let us use our minds for a moment to put ourselves in John's position.

John was a great prophet of God. He had a calling on his life that could not be shaken for even the prophet Isaiah spoke of him during his prophetic ministry. John spent his entire life in servitude to the Lord. He was humble and did not seek after glory, fame or riches. He faithfully stayed his course and when Jesus came to him, he was ready to receive him. Now there came a time when John got Herod the Tetrarch very angry since he reproved him for his brother's wife Herodias and his wicked lifestyle. For that reason, Herod threw John in to prison and John was in danger of being beheaded. Let us imagine his conditions in prison for just a moment. Picture the solitude of his cell, the darkness, his frail body laying flat on the ground as he lamented to God day and night. Imagine the smell - the air filled with a mix of pungent odors, the type that one never seems to get accustomed to. Food probably came every other day, if so much, and was not anything to desire.

John was an afflicted man. I could imagine him reflecting on the life that he lived, bringing to remembrance all that he had done for God. He must have asked God a thousand times, "Why?" "Why are you allowing me to suffer in this prison?" His prayers seemed to get no further than the ceiling and his soul found no rest. He refused to be comforted by the Holy Spirit who tried to tell him of the great reward in store for those who endure. I could also imagine his thoughts changing as his hope faded and anger and discontent surrounded him to "Are you really God? Because if you were, you would have rescued me by now? Why would God cause me to die like a dog in prison?" He allowed his flesh to get the best of him and that is when, through the bars of his cell, he commanded his disciples to relay his question to Jesus, "are you really the son of God?"

But God, in His lovingkindness, gently responded to John with an answer and a rebuke to comfort his soul during his affliction. Jesus then already forgave John for his sin and began to speak very highly of him to the multitudes that had surrounded Jesus. (Mat 11:7-19) Because he loved John and he understood his affliction.

Jesus has been in our position. He has been tempted, tormented, afflicted, persecuted, teased, beat up, alone, betrayed multiple times, forsaken by everyone, lied on, lied to, grieved, doubted by others, and every other situation you can find yourself in, Jesus has been there. He loves you, and wants you to understand that he knows how you feel. But do not lose heart, and do not be offended by him when it seems as if he is no where to be found, or it seems as if he doesn't care. He does because he LOVES you.

conscious christian reggae

Solomon Jabby - Prayer and Meditation



Lyrics:

We are living in a time of mass communication/ There are many sources of daily destraction/ too many voices are fighting for our attention/ we permit our minds to focus on the tension/
the solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ let us steal away to another dimension/ A little prayer and meditation/ We'll find strength in supplication/ Withdraw from all preoccupation/
It's the healing of all the nations/ We are living in a time of massive confusion/ We are suffering from mental intrusion/ You know mankind shall never live on bread alone/ Let us steal away
and seek the throne/ The solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ Let us steal away to another dimension/ A little prayer and meditation/ We'll find strength in supplication/ Withdraw
from all preoccupation/ It's the healing of all the nations/ Meditate in silent so the Truth can be found/ Distraction choked my seed that I buried in the ground/ Escape far away from all this
interference/ We will find our rest with a little perseverance/ The solitude of creation will offer some prevention/ Let us steal away to another dimension.

Cuzzzzz, My Daddy says so!

Have you ever found yourself worried about your life? Have your feelings or emotions ever gotten the better of you? Do you ever wonder about why you are the way you are?  I have. I know how it feels when it seems like no one else understands how you are feeling and I know how it feels to be completely alone even though I know I am not. It's times like these where I play back unchangeable circumstances in your mind wondering where I went wrong. Aw man, Satan is such a liar. He gets me sooo mad!! Grrrr.

You know what my Daddy said? He said that He will never leave me nor will he forsake me. You know what that means? It means that I am never alone. You want to know what else he said? He said that I should never worry about my life, because my heavenly Father knows what I need. He also said that he is my Healer, my Deliverer. He said that I am more than a a conquerer and that NOTHING can separate me from His love. He said that  "I will heal you so you can heal others. I will lead you, so you can lead others & I will love you so you can love others. Do not worry about your life. Live your life to help others, build up others and edify your brothers. I will take care of you."


I'm out folks.

My quest in life at this very moment is to discover who I am in Christ Jesus.

What's yours?

Bus Stop Bible Studies

Bus Stop Bible Studies Ministry

If you are a communter in toronto then you may have already had the pleasure of seeing the Bible Bus Stop Ministry in action! I remember the first time that I witnessed it. I was walking along side of a bus parked infront of my school and the huge letters posted on the side of the bus caught my attention. It read, "God, how can I reach you?" I remember how shocked I was that someone was actually promoting God - not just any God, but the One, True and Living God! I fell even more in love with God. It made me think of how He loves people so much that He puts it in the heart of a few faithful stewards to reach the world where they are - outside of the church. Well of course, as soon as I went home I rushed to my computer to check out their website. Everything was totally legit as far as I could tell. Bible believing, People loving, Up to the times ministry. It was awesome. Below I have shared a small portion of their mission statement so that you can see where they are coming from.

"The mission of Bus Stop Bible Studies is to present the Word of God to the general public, in the form of Bible studies, using advertising panels inside buses, LRT (Light Rapid Transit), subway cars, and similar mediums. Bus Stop Bible Studies will present God's Word in a clear and concise manner, challenging the reader to think about what they have read by posing thoughtful, searching questions. Through the use of our website and volunteer follow-up, we wish to provide encouragement and direction to those who are impacted by the Bus Stop Bible studies.

The vision of Bus Stop Bible Studies is to see the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ clearly presented, in a way that will bring individuals into a life changing relationship with Jesus Christ, bringing glory and honour to God the Father. This will be accomplished by displaying the Word of God in every transit system in Canada, the United States and beyond. We believe that God is a God of grace, love and righteousness, who wishes that all humanity be restored to a personal and loving relationship with Him."

Also, I would like to show you how their bible studies are presented. 

This is just one of the 50 display panels found inside buses, streetcars and subway cars, or on the backs of buses. Click Here to see more.

Some transit companies do not currently allow "religious advertising" so God inspired Photothoughts.
Click Here to see more.

'Get the Word Out' Campaign has 20 different panels that are posted on the sides of buses all across the GTA. Click Here to see more.

Are you interested in finding out more about this ministry? Click on one of the links provided:
Bus Stop Bible Studies Home Page
Finding a Bible
Make a Donation
Questions concerning religious advertising in the public square

Study the Raven, Study the Lilies! Command or Suggestion?

A brief study of Matthew 6:24-34

Mat 6:26 Behold [to look at with the mind; to consider] the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Mat 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please read Matthew 6:24-34 to get the full gist of the scripture.

In the above scripture reading, the Lord is telling His people to stop worrying about matters that shouldn't concern us. Things like what we should eat, drink or wear are all part of His provision for us and He is asking us to be more concerned with His kingdom and His righteousness rather than those things. It feels weird to say that we shouldn't be at least a little bit concerned with what we should eat, drink and wear because it is such a necessity in our lives. Just think, without food, we would go hungry and starve and without clothes we would be naked. However, the Lord acknowledges the need for those things in our lives in verses 32-33 when He says, "for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The Lord already provides for us. Everything that we eat, drink and wear comes from Him whether we choose to give Him credit or not. However, the Lord desires to bless His children in abundance so that they will experience life in the fullness which is in Christ. I believe that this scripture is pointing us to where we should go in order to receive a revelation of God's willingness and ability to provide for His children. Jesus said, "Consider the fowls of the air." He also said, "Consider the lilies of the field." That seems very much like a command. Study the birds! Study the lilies! Then you will see what I am talking about! Then you will see and know that I am a provider! (is what Jesus might say). Whenever I read Matthew 6:24-34, I tend to skip over that command and I try to understand what this scripture is saying by reading it over and over. However, I feel like we have been given an assignment! For it is by studying these things - the birds and the lilies - that Jesus tells us we will understand why we shouldn't worry about food and clothes. Think of how perfectly and faithfully God provides for His animal creations. Knowing that His children are much more valuable than the animals He created we should never be concerned with wear our next meal is coming from or what we should wear.

I don't know about you, but I want a revelation of God's abundant provision for my life. And because I want my faith to grow I will do what Jesus has told me to do and study! I hope you join me! :)

I have already began a little studying. Follow these links to see what I've seen. ;)

All the places where the word "bird" is mentioned in the bible. We aren't the only bird watchers you know!

Study on the Sparrow & Bird watchers in the Bible

Different types of birds mentioned in the Bible

Everything you need to know about House Sparrows

Funny Story about a bird who wouldn't quit

Yellow Hammer birdie singing (YouTubeVid)

Black-Capped Chickadee - HD Mini-Documentary

Tanager - Bird watching in the Desert

I'm actually going to try and buy a pair of binoculars.. then maybe I can be a pro Bird Watcher hahaaa.

Friendly Stranger

I saw the most blog worthy scene on the train this morning. I was about 4 stops away from my exit and I was trying my best to finish the readings assigned for class that day when I heard giggling coming from the person sitting across from me. I looked up and quickly noticed that he was laughing at his friend who was standing about 7 feet away to my right. He was being tightly embraced by an older gentleman around the same height as the boy who looked no older than 18 years of age. I can boldly say that although I know very little about this boy, his actions told me a great deal about his character, and that it was strong, and that he had a great respect and love for others. It wasn't too long after observing the scene that I realized that the man who had his arms around the boy was mentally challenged, at least to some degree. I say this because he was making loud muffled noises and he began patting the boy's shoulders loudly and soon after, began kissing the boy's hand all with a big smile on his face. While all this was happening, the boy remained calm. He was clearly uncomfortable but he kept his composure and refused to disrespect the man by showing any signs of disgust or contempt towards the man. The public display of hugs and kisses were not scorned but bared with love. He did not push off the man, nor did he yell at him to stop what he was doing. Even the laughter coming from his friend at his 'embarrasing' encounter did not change the boy's disposition. I use the word encounter since it was only until two stops away when the boy and his friend exited the train and I realized the the man who was embracing him was a total stranger to him. All the while I was convinced that maybe it was his family or close friend or at least somebody that he knew. My respect for this young boy - really a young man - increased exponentially. I considered how he handled this unscheduled encounter - with great honour and love - and gave thanks to God.

Communication. One of my greatest weaknesses.

God made us all completely unique. Just imagine our fingerprints alone. If you searched the past, present and future, you will find not one person with the same fingerprint as you. God took the time to form each and every one of us all in His perfect glorious image. Being unique yet beautiful creatures as we are, we do things differently from each other. We look different, we laugh differently, the way we interpret the world is different, even the way we think is different. As amazingly cool as that is, it also means that we must consider the way we interact and communicate with each other.  Since we all have our own sense of the world and we all have our own way of communicating, the challenge in relating with each other lies on the basis that an action that is meant to mean one thing may be interpreted as something else. How do we find that middle ground in communication so that the message sent is the message received? Many have written books claiming to resolve all communication problems. Those books usually group mankind into a neat personas that all think and behave the same. Are you a Type A or a Type B? Because Type A people do this and react this way and Type B. .blah blah. People are not cut out dolls. We are unique and we need to figure out ourselves before we can figure out how to communicate with others. I don't claim to have all the answers. In fact, I don't claim to have any. Communication has always been a great weakness of mine and I have absolutely no clue how to fix me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. (2 Corin 12:9 NIV)

Chilling in downtown Toronto with Teesh.

Is not life more than food?

we are empty vessels

I hope you've read my previous blog about our purpose here on Earth. This post goes hand in hand with 'Jesus Jr.' In this post, I will talk about the importance of Holy Spirit. This is NOT a study guide on all that Holy Spirit is and does. However, I will tell you this, Holy Spirit is given to all those who are Sons of God, He is God, He operates in us to guide us and display God's power through us. I could give you many scriptures on who exactly Holy Spirit is and what He does which would be fun no doubt, but that is not the focus of this post. My focus here is to show us a bigger picture of who we are as members of the family of Jesus Christ.

First we must completely understand that we can accomplish nothing on our own. To put this into perspective, let's examine what you are probably doing right now. Which one of you can supply their own breath? Who here tells their heart when to beat and when to stop? Your eyes, how do they work? Which colour do you see was of your choosing? Your finger that clicks so that the page scrolls down, where did its strength come from? Was it you who provided the strength for your finger to move? If you broke that finger, would you by the word of your mouth straighten it and renew its strength? I think not. Mediate on every single action that you do that you believe is of your own doing. You will quickly find that none is truly of your own doing and it is the Lord who provides you with everything. It takes a wise person to admit their insufficiency and completely dependency on the Holy God of Israel. When you reach some point of understanding concerning this matter we can move on.

With knowledge that we are but empty vessels, completely dependent on the Most High God, our question to God changes from, "What can I do to glorify your name?" to "How will you use me to glorify your name?" God gave us His Holy Spirit so that we may showcase the glory of God here on Earth. Everyone of us are given a territory that the Lord has ordained for us to take over. There is a different piece of God's glory in each and every believer and it is up to us all to bring to full view God's glory here on Earth. The key to letting God's glory shine is allowing Holy Spirit to work in us. Obedience to Holy Spirit will cause God to be glorified. He is in us to guide our EVERY step. He equips us with God's power in order to make us stand out from the crowd. We are like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We are the light of the world, placed on a lamp stand so that everyone around us will see God working in us. To understand that it is God working in us to bring Glory to himself changes our focus in life because now our only responsibility is to turn to God. Our focus turns from ourselves to God. Responsibility moves from ourselves to God. Burdens move from ourselves to God. Fears move from ourselves to God. Troubles are no longer troublesome because we know that we are being led by God to glorify God and do what it is He has ordained for us to do.

Jesus Jr.

For the past couple weeks I have been learning about my purpose as a Holy Spirit Filled Christian on this Earth. Why am I here? What am I supposed to do? I wanted to know the big picture. What is the purpose of every Christian here on Earth? The revelation that I received was not quite the big picture I'm sure, but it was definitely a much broader perspective from my previous way of thinking.

The Holy Spirit led me to John 3:16. Almost puzzled as to why He was directing me to one of the most 'famous' verses in the Bible, I flipped to John and began reading the verse.

John 3:16 (King James Version)


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Let's look at the word "Son".

God gave His Son to the world so that through His Son the world may see, hear and believe that He is God.

Why would the world believe in Jesus? 

Jesus acted like God, talked like God, walked like God and displayed God's power. God's Son is an exact representation of God the Father who resides in heaven (now with His Son). The world saw all that Jesus did and believed in Him/God because of it.

What does this have to do with us as Christians?

When a person becomes a born-again believer, having believed in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, that person literally becomes a Son/Daughter of God.(John 1:12-13) And so, they in turn are given in the same way unto the world as representatives of Christ Jesus (2 Corin 5:19-21) to do what Jesus did and live as He lived so that others will know God through His children and believe in Him who sent them.

You might even say, "God gave His Son/Daughter, __(your name here)__  so that others may see their actions which are the actions of Jesus and Believe in God."

How do we walk as Jesus did in love & purity?

In order to walk as Jesus walked, you must first know how He walked. Study the things Jesus said, His teachings, How He acted towards others, namely unbelievers or 'sinners' as well as those He loved. As you study Him, submit yourself to God and commit yourself to a change of lifestlye. For Jesus' way of doing things is completely different from the world's way. Set yourself apart to learn from the Master, Christ Jesus.

Secondly, become completely reliant on the Holy Spirit for guidance, conviction and power. Follow up blog on Holy Spirit coming up.

Prayer:

Holy Father, I ask for deeper understanding of what was just taught to me. Give me a revelation of my purpose here on this Earth. Show me the things in which I must do inorder to be more like you Jesus. I ask that you would transform me Lord. Thank You Jesus for listening to my prayer. Amen.

Disclaimer: There are very graphic pictures used in this video.

My sheep know my voice .. ok.. now what?

John 10:4  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

In the past, I have asked spiritual leaders and friends whom I believed would be able to share some wisdom the following question, "How do I recognize God's voice when He speaks to me?" Every individual responded by quoting John 10:4 "the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." That was probably as useful to me as defining a word in the dictionary by using the same word. It did not help.

It was only two Sunday's ago when I began to receive clarity on the topic. It all started during a discussion that took place in my discipleship class. The leader of the class was explaining how sheep operate. She said that at night, shepherds would often gather their sheep together with other flocks since it was easier to protect them from predators. In the morning, each shepherd would call their sheep to them and only their sheep (who are now in one huge flock) would come out of the flock and follow them while all the other sheep would remain.

During the week, I thought about the matter even more and this is what I have concluded. Sheep know the voice of their shepherd because they grew familiar to their shepherd's voice. I do not believe that a sheep that is sold to another shepherd will automatically begin following his new owner's commands the very first day he is brought to the farm. It is the same with a new believer in Christ, or sadly, even long time believers in Christ. Before we can discern the voice of God we must become familiar with His voice.

Not every voice we hear in our mind is a friendly one. I believe that there are a total of three voices in every believer's mind and only one that is trustworthy. (1) Yourself (2) Holy Spirit/God (3) Satan/ The Enemy. That one trustworthy voice being that of God and no other voice is to be trusted. Everyday we hear all three of these voices in our mind and without a familiarity of God's voice, one can easily mistake the voice of God for one of the other two voices.

How we gain familiarity with God's voice is by (1) READING HIS WORD (2) PRAYING. Do both and do them often and you will naturally be able to discern the voice of God when you hear it.

This being said, the next time someone asks you the question, "How do I recognize God's voice when He speaks to me?" You can respond by saying, "You must first become familiar with God's voice before you can discern whether or not He is speaking to you. You will begin to recognize the voice of God as you submerge yourself in His word (Holy BIBLE) and His presence during through prayer."

Those who talk less think more.

we live in a microwave generation

You must first acknowledge how foolish you are before you can pursue wisdom with the intensity you desire.

Your love feels like the sun's rays on my skin

Your company is better than french vanilla icecream

Your whisper sends tingles down my spine

Your embrace feels like I'm swimming in a pool of warm pudding

As I re-read the above lines I shook my head. It's unfortunate that my limited vocab couldn't express the way I feel about my God. *sigh*

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, It's hard to focus on ethnic conflict in Rwanada and underprivileged women in the Global South when all I can think about is You.

Can you move a brick by blowing on it?

I just thought of this illustration maybe a day ago and it really helped me understand just a tee nee bit more about how Mighty the God I serve really is.

Which is easier to do?

Moving a single brick by blowing on it?
OR taking it in your hand and moving it?

For most of us, the answer is obvious. We would find it maybe a million times easier to simply lift up the brick and move it rather than try to move it by breathing on. Why? Because there is more power in our hands than in our breath.

Ok cool. Now try to wrap your tee nee minds around our huge God.

Psalms 33:6 Says, "By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth."

In case you missed the point, God BREATHED stars into existence. Maybe some pictures will help.

 

Our Sun

VY Canis Majoris

Our sun is just about 1 million times larger than the earth. VY Canis Majoris is the largest known star in all the galaxy. If the Earth was a golf ball, then this star, Canis Majoris, would be the size of MT. Everest. 7 quadrillion earths could fill it. Ya, our God breathed that into existence... !! (There is an awesome video on youtube that illustrates this point way better than I could. It's super interesting so click here to check it out.)

Now onto my next point, let's go to John 10:28-30. It says, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

If the BREATH of God is mighty enough to create ginormous balls of fierce flames that never go out, how much more mighty are His hands? Remember our illustration above with the brick? We concluded that hands are more powerful than the breath of a man. How much more powerful are the hands of GOD? So if God is saying that His children shall never perish and no one can snatch them out of His hand, then you better believe it! You are as safe as you can EVER be! You are in the hands of a MIGHTY God who literally BREATHS fire!!!

Wooooot!!

 

It's exam season so I've been busy studying. You can find me at Robarts, one of U of T's best study spots in downtown Toronto. 

I have, still i want. I get, still I want more.

Two days ago I went downtown Toronto with a church group called 'Feed The Streets'. A leader from my church planned the entire day and provided at least a dozen huge bags of clothing plus tons of sandwiches and other types of food for distribution to the poor and homeless in the city. The day was filled with divine appointments, heart wrenching stories, prayer for those who requested it and a massive display of God's love for His children. It was an absolutely amazing day and there are many uniquely inspiring stories that I could share with you but there was one particular conversation that really made me reflect on my own life.

Myself and my three other friends were at one of Toronto's many parks - this one is especially known for being one of the social hubs for the homeless and poor in the city - to distribute the clothing and food we had. It was there that I met my friend. We didn't exchange names but what I received from the conversation was much more valuable than civil pleasantries. His long grey beard and fisherman's hat paired with the solemn expression on his face and calm yet authoritative tone of his voice captured my attention. He spoke about the things he wanted to do in his life and the places he dreamt about travelling. It seemed as if he knew exactly how he was going to get there and when he was going to go. His dreams made me consider my own dreams. He was a man of humble living yet his dreams were so much bigger than my own dreams. I thought, if he could dream that way, then I must be cutting myself short. Why don't I dream the way he dreams? His dreams are so big and so far away from what my eyes told me he could achieve. Yet my heart cheered for him. I thought hey, if you can dream it, then you can achieve it! During our conversation I asked him if he wanted any of the clothes from the bag I was holding and he looked at me dead in the eye and politely replied, "No thank you, I have more than enough." A questioning look appeared on my face since I didn't understand how a man who lived in a shelter could have more than enough so I asked him, "Are you sure?" It was then that he pointed to a bench behind me. I looked back and I saw a suitcase the size of a backpack with a winter jacket resting on top of it. He said, "I have everything I need." His peaceful face testified to his words and that he was being completely genuine. I was awestruck. Here I am, living a beautiful home, driving a car, going to university and clothes in my closet that I never wear and still I am not content. Still I want more. Where did this man find his contentment? How was he so satisfied with what he had? I reflected on his words then and still I reflect.

Philippians 4:11-12 (New International Version)

¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Keziah and Jehoshaphat

Let me tell you a story:

Keziah and Jehoshaphat were very good friends but for many years lived very far away from each other. One day, Jehoshaphat told Keziah that he would be coming to visit her and he would be bringing as a gift one of the desserts that his town was famous for. Keziah was so excited when she heard this that she told all of her friends about his visit and the dessert that he was going to bring. She expected him to visit and she expected to taste the dessert he was going to bring. She had put all of her hope in him coming because she trusted his character and she knew that if he said that he was going to come and if he said that he would bring a dessert with him then that is what he was going to do. One day, as she was thinking about his soon arrival, God spoke to her and said, "Why can't you have faith in me like that?"


Moral: Everyday we have faith in people and things but what about our faith in God? Can't his word be trusted like the word of the chef who brings you your food that you didn't see him prepare, or a doctor who says he has to cut you open with a knife then stitch you back together and everything will be alright? Trust God like you would trust your best friend. Trust His character. He is honest, faithful, trustworthy, loving and everything good.


Have faith =)

Statistic Schmatistic!

"Your walk with God is an individual thing." 

 - [Wise.man.of.God's.Uncle]

Jesus answer me.

What do you do when you recognize that a person is hurting? What do you say when you compare your life to theirs and it seems as if the hand dealt to you was inexplicably better? What can you do when your whole heart is filled with compassion to the point where you would give anything, even everything that you have to that person in hopes of satisfying their emptiness, soothing their pain and bringing them joy? What can you do if everything that person needed transcended materialism, even the pleasures of this world? What if that person needed Jesus? What if they knew they needed Jesus but did not know how to experience Him? How do you help a person experience Jesus, meet Jesus, receive love from Jesus, lean on Jesus, depend on Jesus, trust in Jesus when even you sometimes fail at all of the above? How do you hold back tears from smudging the pages of your journal when the solution to this person's problems seems so out of your grasp? How do you go about your daily business when this person's life continues to weigh heavily on your heart? I don't know. Jesus answer me.

Isaiah 43

Isaiah 43 (New International Version)

Isaiah 43

Israel's Only Savior

 ¹ But now, this is what the LORD says—
       he who created you, O Jacob,
       he who formed you, O Israel:
       "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
       I have summoned you by name; you are mine.  ² When you pass through the waters,
       I will be with you;
       and when you pass through the rivers,
       they will not sweep over you.
       When you walk through the fire,
       you will not be burned;
       the flames will not set you ablaze.
 ³ For I am the LORD, your God,
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
       I give Egypt for your ransom,
       Cush ^[a] and Seba in your stead.
 ⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
       and because I love you,
       I will give men in exchange for you,
       and people in exchange for your life.
 ⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
       I will bring your children from the east
       and gather you from the west.
 ⁶ I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
       and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
       Bring my sons from afar
       and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
 ⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
       whom I created for my glory,
       whom I formed and made."
 ⁸ Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,
       who have ears but are deaf.
 ⁹ All the nations gather together
       and the peoples assemble.
       Which of them foretold this
       and proclaimed to us the former things?
       Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
       so that others may hear and say, "It is true."
 ¹⁰ "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
       "and my servant whom I have chosen,
       so that you may know and believe me
       and understand that I am he.
       Before me no god was formed,
       nor will there be one after me.
 ¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD,
       and apart from me there is no savior.
 ¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
       I, and not some foreign god among you.
       You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God.
 ¹³ Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
       No one can deliver out of my hand.
       When I act, who can reverse it?"

[click here for verse 14-28]

Encounter with a stranger

  
As I type, the sweet aroma of coffee beans fill the air and the chatter of fellow students fighting the good fight of essays and papers surround me. I am sitting down on a suave but comfy dark brown chair at one of my favourite coffee shops sipping on the most delicious blueberry de-caffeinated tea. I just shared over an hour of my study time with a friendly stranger sitting in the chair beside me. He too had his laptop in front of him with his coffee mug situated just to the right of it. It was the wonderful smell of my tea that caught his attention he said. After I removed my head phones from my ears, he then mentioned how good the tea must taste. I confirmed his suspicion and it was then that we entered into our very long conversation. Of course I didn't know it would continue for as long as it did and I suspect he didn't know either; and although we both had work to do, the talk was going so good that it didn't seem to matter. We talked about all sorts of thing; God, the good life, happiness, travel destinations, future aspirations, love and humanity. We were significantly different people. He was a Colombian man, probably in his mid 40s who already has his life together in terms of his career and achieving what he calls happiness. Me, I'm just a 19 year old girl with absolutely no clue where I stand in life or where I am going. My only certainty is the love God has for me which I shared with Him. That was among the many things we talked about. Listening to his perspective of life was definitely a change from the people I surround myself with. I could tell he wasn't very religious, but in many ways he was a good man. He believed in doing good and being kind to others and generous and loving. His career entailed helping others identify their purpose in life as well as developing their future aspirations. I shared how I am in the process of identifying my passions and the type of career I wish to have in the future. He shared a lot of  beneficial information that really helped me organize my thoughts for my future plans. He said that I am at the perfect age to just "stop *he paused* and think." It's amazing how two strangers can have a totally deep and rewarding conversation. I gained knowledge and incite of things I had never known and I hope that I was able to impart some knowledge and a different perspective of life to him.

Vid - {K'NAAN - WAVIN' FLAG}

{K'NAAN - WAVIN' FLAG}

Izzy Baby :)

The day Izzy visited with her mommy Losotros. She became mine for the day.

I love Isabella aka Izzy =)

It is not faith to believe for something and still have back-up plans
-[wise.woman.of.God]

It is not faith to believe for something for others and not for yourself.
-[wise.woman.of.God]

Prayer Request - I have a cold

I have a cold at the moment and it's slowing down my productivity level HARD. This poses a problem since it's the last week of school and I have assignments to write! Please say a prayer of faith for me so that I will get well A.S.A.P.. Prayer that my sneezes and sniffles go away and that my congested nasal passage gets cleared up and that I get a lot of energy to do my school work. :) Thank You Fam!

Acknowledging God's presence

Today was interesting. ..  then again.. everyday that I walk with God and remembers He loves me tends to be interesting. One of the more interesting parts of my day was bible study. My Pastor Joel came to my campus bible study to teach us about and how to do the good works that God has prepared in advance for us to do. [Ephesians 2:10] His teaching was filled with wisdom and I definitely soaked up alllll that my mind-sponge could retain. However, I believe that the biggest thing I took away from the bible study was from Joel's side notes. Now, if you know my Pastor Joel, side notes can actually be as long as FULL sermons so you better believe that I got a lot of it!! He was teaching us how to stay in constant communion with God and he gave us an illustration of a driver and his passenger. He said that if a driver disregarded that there was a passenger in the car with him and saw something funny outside, he would probably just chuckle to himself and keep driving. It would be rude not to include the passenger into the joke wouldn't it? Now if the driver was aware of the passenger's presence and welcomed that presence, if he saw something funny outside the window he would turn to his passenger and say "Hey! look at that!" and they would both start laughing. Our communion with God is very much like this driver and his passenger.  If we know that God is always in our presence, but we do not acknowledge His presence, it's like we are being the rude driver ignoring our passenger. I really took this to heart because I felt like at times I was that rude driver. The illustration really changed my perspective on how I view unceasing prayer with God. Prayer is a dialogue and it is much easier to have a dialogue with a person who you know is in your midst.


That's all for now folks!
Bed time x_x

Seasons change

As I was driving down a familiar road bordered with beautiful tall trees mixed with large lots of farm land I observed the faint colours of the plants and the naked branches of the trees. I thought to myself that soon enough, spring will come, and the leaves will once again find their places on their assigned branches. It was at that time when I drew a parallel between the seasons of the trees and the seasons of my life. I realised that just like seasons are bound to change - spring will always follow winter, summer will always follow spring and so on and so forth - the seasons in a persons life will also inevitably change. Understanding this brings hope if one is going through a difficult season in their life because then one can be sure that life will soon get better. It also brings hope if you are enjoying a season of rest and peace, because it is during this time that one can prepare for the bitter winter ahead and brace yourself for the 'hard' times to come. Seasons change.. some last longer than others but one will always end and usher in the next.

Happy Birthday to Christos Dep Hibbert!!

Daniel Diet

Day 10

I never thought that I would miss meat as much as I do right now.

.Obedience unto death.

Daniel 3:16-18 (New International Version) -Daniel

 ¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
(Read full story)

Esther 4:16 (New International Version) -Esther

¹⁶ "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."
(Read full story)

Philippians 1:21 (New International Version) -Paul

²¹For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
 (Read full story)

John 10:17-18 (New International Version) -Jesus

¹⁷The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
(Read full story)

.Obedience unto death.

Words shape you

I learned about Mead, Sherif and Kuhn in my Classical Sociology lecture yesterday. These sociologists are well known for their work in the area of the mind, self and society. I chose to blog about them because they helped me gain further understanding of a scripture that I kept bumping into - Romans 12:2. The following points are the conclusions that I drew from the lecture and afterwards I will say why they helped me understand Romans 12:2.

Words have symbolic meaning
Mead says that constraints controlled by the conscious is more powerful than biological urges. He also said that symbolic meaning has more coercive power than biological drives. The symbolic meaning he is referring to is language - words. Sherif shows that language is a symbol system. Each sound is a symbol that stands for something else. He believed that this symbol system can create it's own perception and create its own reality.

Words change our perception of our self and the world
1. Perception of the world: Sherif’s experiment
Sherif did an experiment to prove his point: He had people sit in a dark room and observe a pin point light in front of them that was not moving. It was a stationary light. People typically saw the light moving in an erratic random motion. He then told subjects that the light was moving in a certain way and the people agreed. He then split the people into two groups and told the first group that the light was moving large distances and the second group that the light was moving small distances. Then he put the two groups together in one room and they looked at the same stationary light once more and arrived at a midway point.
In other words, perception changes in response to symbolic communication.

2. Perception of Self: Kuhn's test
Manfred Kuhn performed an experiment called the '20 statement test' where he asked people to have 20 responses to the one question, "Who am I?" He found that people often defined themselves in relation to their social status. He came to the conclusion that humans acquire their sense of 'self' from symbolic creations and we tend to become what we are told we are.

Perceptions of self and the world are a learnt behaviour
Humans do not have an innate self-awareness/perception. We learn from infant hood 'individual' and 'self' concepts symbolically (words) through society. We acquire knowledge of 'self' when we acquire language through communal interaction.

Applying this knowledge to Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (New International Version) 

I will focus on the first part of the verse, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Knowing that words change our perception of ourselves and of the world, we must be extremely careful of the words that surround us. How many of you know that the word of God is perfect converting the soul, perfect for teaching and instructing and perfect for encouraging? It is a perfect mirror in which we must examine ourselves and continue to being transformed. People are imperfect and therefore, the words that come out of their mouths are also imperfect. The labels that the world places on you are imperfect and what the world thinks about you is imperfect. If you continue to let what the world says about you shape who you are then you will have an imperfect picture of who you are and also, what the world is. You may not believe that the world changes your perception of self and your reality but if you allow the world to be your main source of knowledge then it will inevitably shape you. In other words, you must be constantly emerged in the word of God if you are to be shaped by His words. I heard a friend say, "You cannot know what the lie is until you know the truth." God's word is that truth and everything else is lie. Submerge yourselves in God's word and allow it to shape who you are and your reality. Then you will know what his good, pleasing and perfect will is.

The first time I was introduced to Love

I want to stand out among the masses and be recognized as an individual. I want my speech, behaviour and actions to cause others to ponder 'why does she, how is it or what causes her to be who she is.' Maybe then one out of the many would approach me, and enquire of me. Maybe then I would be given the opportunity to testify about Jesus and the miraculous work He has and continues to do in my heart. Maybe then a seed would be planted in someones life for eternity - how lovely would it be if it sprouted and it's roots shot into the ground of that one person's heart. I can't live a life like everyone else. My reality has never looked more real. Everything in in my life has shifted completely. They say that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge. It is because I fear God that I see the world under a much brighter light - any light at all is an improvement from the darkness I used to know. It's funny because this light was in the world so long ago, yet no one recognized Him. How sad. . . - to stare straight into the eyes of your masterpiece and have it turn it's back on you and say it doesn't love you. I say 'Him' because the light is living.. He is real.. He is life.. He is the Son of God - Jesus Christ. I am glad that He didn't give up on me when I turned my back on Him. He was beaten to the point where He no longer looked like a human being and bared MY punishment for MY sin - death. He's awesome though. His love conquered death and he came looking for me. He grabbed me by the hand as I stumbled in the darkness and He drew me close to Him. Immediately His light shone on me and He said, "You are mine." I struggled with Him and tried to get away - I didn't understand His love. Yet he held me even closer and said, "You are mine and I love you." My heart literally melted away as I stared into the deep, fiery eyes of my Maker the very first time I was introduced to Love.

[This scripture was in my mind as I wrote this:

Romans 12:2 (King James Version)

 ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.]

[If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sinss, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.1 john 1:8-9]{Copied from rtzoom}

[Jesus as a dread. Unlikely, but heavy pic nonetheless]{Copied from Zazzle.ca}

  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
         Be acceptable in Your sight,
         O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

[Psalm 19:14 NKJV]

I'm on a diet

Daniel Diet

Day 1: It was hard finding food today. My house didn't have any organic foods or whole grain foods or fruits or vegies. Holay... makes me wonder about my regular eating habits?? yikes. I had to go to the super market and pick up breakfast. The fruits and vegetable aisle seemed foreign to me. I just picked up a pear and an apple and a whole grain baguette. That my friends, is my breakfast this morning.

Now on to lunch & dinner. o_O

School Ministry, Wife & Mother

This is an update on my life. I came to two realizations both today and yesterday. The first realization came yesterday. Weirdly enough, I was in a bathroom stall when it happened and it was right after my friend and I just finished praying for a couple girls. I realized that I am literally a part of a school ministry!  o_O I definitely did not see this coming, but it happened. God roped me into His plans hard but hey, All Glory To God! Leadership is foreign to me. Well I should say, being a good leader is foreign to me. I find it a challenge to take on the responsibilities of my own life so how will I manage with the lives of God's precious children? Therefore, I have decided to hand over all responsibilities to God. My leader once told me, If you are doing God's will, your plans will succeed and all Glory will go to God but, if you are doing your own will, regardless of how noble it may be, your plans will fail and it will be your own fault and not God's.  I intend to take that to heart. I believe this ministry is God's will and therefore he is in control of it's success. I view myself and the other prayer warriors as a small squad in a huge army with God as our leader. We are being trained for war!

The second realization occured while I was driving to school this morning. It was more of a wide-eyed blank stare moment when a thought of my future came to mind. I saw myself 5 years in the future being a wife and a mother of my first child. o_O That thought alone is totally insane. 7 months ago my 5 year plan looked more like, moving out of my parents house, living in a Spanish-speaking country and living a care-free make-belief life. My mindset is totally different and it's shocking to see such a drastic change in myself. Could that really be me in 5 years? Wife and mother? I'll be no older than 25. I am scared to say that I am ready.. but I somehow believe I am. Sure there are some kinks I have to work out in my life, but I'm almost looking forward to my future. God has planned out so many treats for me to find along the way. I'll let you know how it goes!

[God love burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. sgs8:6]{Copied from S0inL0VE}

One thing have I desired of the LORD,

that will I seek after;

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the LORD,

and to enquire in his temple.

[psalm 27:4]

Kizzy pulls an Ezekiel!

Will I learn it faster if I eat it or read it?

God visits Universities?

Hey folks, I am on my 10 min break mid-way through my politics class. The lecture is on religion, politics and development... o0o interesting huh?? Nah, not really.. but w.e. I would fall asleep if I did not think the lecture would be on the final, but it will be, so I have commanded my eyelids to re-open every time they decide to close. No one can tell what's going on behind my summer shades and hoodie so I'm gooood.

On another note, God has been doing super big things here on campus. Just last Friday, LESS than a handful of Christian youth put together an awesome worship service in the School's student centre. Over 100 people attended with God as the most honoured guest. Fire poured out from heaven and hearts were changed forever. The walls of the school shook as heaven opened and angels were released all over campus. YAYY!

However, we know that one church service is not going to feed all these new babes in Christ sufficiently so as a follow up, we are planning to set up better organized bible study groups, prayer groups and also strategy to get school youth connected with base churches that will disciple them properly. I don't know about you, but I'm super excited to see the Lord CONTINUE to move on campus. =D

The Lord is perfectly faithful

For the past couple weeks I have been in a whirlwind of God's love and faithfulness. I would like to take a moment to simply Thank God for his love and faithfulness. You are awesome God!! I remember reading in Isaiah 25:1 that the Lord's faithfulness is perfect. This means that one can be absolutely sure that what He says he will do, will get done! I have been seeing the Lord's faithfulness predominantly in my life and the life of a close girl friend. God's faithfulness has become real to me and I can testify to it! I believe the reason for this revelation of God's faithfulness - I'll get to love in second - has been a direct product of prayer. Ever since I became a born-again Christian I knew prayer was powerful, but it's only been in the past couple weeks where my eyes have truly been opened to the power of prayer and the perfection of God. Now I'll touch on love. Love makes prayer extremely enjoyable. God's love compels you to prayer and when you and God begin to interact in prayer and exchange love, your relationship with Him becomes more intimate and trust begins to flow out of prayer. The scripture that really helped me with trusting in the Lord is Proverbs 3:5-6. It says that we should not lean on our own understanding, but trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. It involves putting aside all the answers that we think are right and seeking the Lord for his answer. It takes humility to admit that your thoughts or action, though they seem right and sensible, are not what God says are right. A combination of trust and prayer produces and outflow of love and faithfulness. If I didn't prayer I would not see God's faithfulness. My friend and I are a witness of His faithfulness. We share the things we prayer for and then soon after there is an answer to our prayer!!! Our faith increases and our joy in the Lord amplify. If I didn't prayer, God would still be faithful, after all, he cannot deny himself.(2Ti 2:13) I just wouldn't get to see it and I would go about my day thinking that the Lord was not involved in my life except for the rare noticeable moments where I find money on the floor or some shopkeeper gives me extra food than what I paid for. ... ugh.. that sounds stale.. I love the excitement that comes from answered prayer and the realization that God cares about each of his children on a personal and intimate level. There is nothing in our lives that is too small or insignificant for the Lord to take care of.

Word of advice: Seek to know the Lord's faithfulness and start praying.

I dance with my lover

Song of Solomon 1:2-3 (New International Version)

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
       for your love is more delightful than wine.
 ³ Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
       your name is like perfume poured out.
       No wonder the maidens love you!

Song of Solomon 2:6 (New International Version)

 ⁶ His left arm is under my head,
       and his right arm embraces me.


---------------------

Exchanging love with my lover is like partaking in an intimate dance in the ballroom of a King. All the heavenly hosts look upon the groom and his bride as all the angels of heaven sing a beautiful melody. Despite the filled room of spectators, the groom is captivated by the beauty of his bride and she surrendors to his arms. He embraces her as she leans on his shoulder and they become the only people in this fantastically large and royal ballroom. The groom deeply inhales the sweet perfume coming from his beloved as her head rests directly beneath his nose. The bride, in his warm embrace, feels absolutely safe in his arms as she too breaths in the sweet aroma of his love. The two lovers are becoming one in this beautiful and intimate dance.

I think that I'm in-like for the first time .. ever.

[Deep]{Copied from ChristineSweets}

 Cute?

As I sip tea on a bumpy trip

Hey, I've finally decided to update this dusty ol' blog while I''m sitting here on this bumpy ride. (Which makes drinking my tea a bit difficult). Where am I going you ask? I'd say I'm in some sort of hmm.. time portal? It's taking me away from my childhood and I heard it's taking me into the realm of womanhood.  . . hm. I'm kind of scared. I've never been to this place before so I had no idea how to pack. I mean, I was rushed out the door so I just grabbed some wisdom from my mother and some training from my parents that they gave me when I was younger & of course I stuck some memories and lessons learned in my back pocket. But there is no turning back now . . . I'll tell you how it goes.

Communication

For the past couple weeks the Lord has been teaching me a great deal about communication. I believe that the greatest lesson I learned was that communication goes far beyond words.  In fact, it is often the non-verbal cues that shape our understanding of a message being delivered on a deeper level. This is true when communicating with God and with other people. First, I'll touch on some of the non verbal ways in which the Lord will speak to people. I used to classify some of these things as coincidences or insignificant random happenings. o_O

-dreams & visions (colours, sounds, images, places, people, objects)
-signs (street signs, reoccuring numbers, random combination of words and letters, shapes that form images or words)
-thoughts (revelations from God without actual words - when a person simply understands something that they did not understand before)

(The Lord communicated with people by these means throughout the Bible - Joseph The Cup bearer and the Bread maker, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, John the disciple of Christ in the NewTestament etc.)

It is an exciting thing when the Lord chooses to communicate with you in these ways. It gives you more reason to seek Him for understanding and revelation of the things He has shown you and in doing so, you deepen your relationship with Him.

Now, concerning human communication, there is much to say and not enough space to say it. I'll list some non verbal ways in which people communicate with each other and you can seek God on the rest.

Tone of voice, facial expressions, eyes, bodily movements (playing with hair etc. [list is too long]), the order of words in a sentence (which words get emphasis), general actions ([different from bodily movements] the way a person acts towards another person).

(One biblical example I can think of at the moment is Ruth lying at boaz' feet)

Word for the ladies.

"A man will chase you."

.

.
not the other way around 
(Wisdom courtesy of a woman of God)

Election . . Coming soon.

For the past week and a half I have been involved in some seriously deep thought. My mind has been on the topic of "election" and "predestination." Who would have known that this biblical truth would be so controversial? I am somewhat hesitant to reveal what I know... at least until more prayer and escavation of the scriptures are done.


Blog on election coming soon. .  .

YOU ARE VALUED

For the past couple weeks I have been doing a lot of thinking. A LOT of thinking. I've really allowed the Lord to speak his will into my life, to direct my paths and show me His way - the right way. I have grown more dependent on the Lord. That makes me really happy. *smiling*

The Lord never changes, he is always the same. His truth is eternal, that too never changes. I want to encourage you that in this walk with Christ, it is so very important that we set our minds to know the Lord and set our hearts to understand Him. It is through this, that we gain wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. It is by this that our faith increases, and our trust deepens. For the Lord is my sheppard, I shall not want (psalm 23:1). I shall lack nothing because the Lord is my portion (Lamentations 3:24).

I'm like Ezra. It was written in Ezra 7:10:

KJV - For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do [it], and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.
NIV - For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.

---

It is such a blessing to understand that on our own, and by ourselves we are nothing. Blessed is the man who the Holy Spirt reveals this truth to. Without God, our Saviour, our Lord, we amount to nothing but dust. We have nothing to hope in. We have no hope. The Lord alone is our hope. He is our light. He is our salvation. The Lord is everything we need and an infinity more.

Look at your life and evaluate it's worth. Without God, without the knowledge of God, what is your life worth? For you bare no good fruit. You do not advance the kingdom of God and you will be thrown into the fire. But again I ask, what is your life worth? A hundred dollar bill, whether it is used to by a blackberry or thrown into the garbage, it is still worth the same. The value of your life is the same whether you choose to waste it or fulfill the Lord's will/purpose for your life. In fact, you are extremely valuable. So valuable that JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD, was sent by your HEAVENLY FATHER to reedeem you from a life that leads to death and give you eternal life. ... um, maybe you didn't hear me.. but I just said, that the GOD of this Universe, LOVED YOU AND I even while we were living a disgusting life of sin soooooooo much that he sent his ONLY BEGOTTEN SON WHOM HE LOVED EXCEEDINGLY TO EARTH, TO BE CRUSHED BY HIM ON THE CROSS SO THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE!!!! He did not send Moses, He did not send Abraham, he sent his only son. That tells me, that the Lord greatly values us. Therefore, there is hope. Because you are still breathing, you must be confident that the Lord is with you. My friends, my loved ones, do not test the Lord for you know not your last day. Put your hope in the Lord now. Put your trust in the Lord today. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him the Lord of your life. Love the Lord by obeying his commands and receive eternal life.


peace y'all.